Does this forum drive down pricing??

[Coralgurl]

Not trying to start a battle or anything, just noticed a thread for free live rock and it got me thinking...as canreefers we look for great deals on livestock and equipment, but I am wondering if as a result, those who sell are actually getting less than what they deserve as a result.

I have stuff to sell, but thinking twice about posting here simply because I'd lose so much on it. Not looking for retail, but if something is still in great condition, possibly with warranty left on it, why is there so much downward pressure on pricing on this forum??

Anyone else ever think this?

[Aquattro]

Yes, absolutely.

[reefwars]

if i have hardware or tank of my own to sell i do it on kijiji as on canreef its mostly lowball offers , for livestock ill post on both as livestock seems to carry its cost alot more these days then equipment:)

[hillegom]

I think, like everywhere else, its supply and demand.
If everyone today were to sell LR, the price would go down if the seller wanted to sell. In this environment, if you wanted to get rid of the LR because you needed the space tonight for that elusive fish you always coveted, then you would give the LR away free.

[Dearth]

I think most people would be happy to just have it out of their hair instead of it collecting dust unfortunately most try to sell local especially bigger centres and usually market is flooded if more people were willing to ship probably ( I know shipping scares a lot of people) prices would be a little higher.:mrgreen:

[canadianbudz604]

It doesn't drive prices down. People that low ball aren't only on canreef. The person selling stuff is the one that sets the price. People that buy stuff for say $500 new and use it for 6 months and try and sell it for $480 are the worst.

[FishyFishy!]

Yeah it has nothing to do with driving prices down, but everyone is looking for a good deal. It's 100% situational. The free live rock guy has a leaking tank, and has to get rid of it right away. I would do the same thing (if I didn't have 1000 other backup tanks lying around my house lol). I would much rather sell something at lower value on here, not only to give others a good deal (lets call it reciprocity), but so that it dosn't sit around my house and take up space.

Here's how I do it.... look at what others are posting their prices at and start around there. If it disn't sell... lower the price $20 a week until it sells. evenually it will.

Sometimes you just have bad luck. No one needs that particular item at the moment, or just dosn't have the cash. Keep at it! lol.

[Coralgurl]

All good points for sure. What I like about selling/buying stuff here is getting to meet other locals that are actually active on the forum and maybe I'm naïve for thinking, but I trust people here a lot more than random people on kijijji. Its also a what goes around comes around thing, I'd like to think anyway.

I've only had one bad experience selling something. For the most part, buying and selling is worth the price simply because of this community. I just get annoyed because I'm one of those that went out when I first started and bought live rock at Pisces at $10/lb, then see it super cheap or free here...not that I need live rock now, but .....

I was not complaining about pricing or anything as I've certainly taken advantage of the great sales here, I'm not bitching about how things are traded or negotiated. But ya, its like buying a new car, as soon as you drive off the lot, its value drops like 35%. Guess its the same here too...:mrgreen: and this thread was not started as a result of my experience, just a thought I had when I saw the free thread as I know there's at least 1 other thread trying to sell LR....

[Hwyman]

There are deals such as the free live rock on Kijiji as well! Some of my cheapest and my most worthwhile purchases of livestock, tanks, and other equipment have been from there. The difference is, once sold on Kijiji, the ad disappears. On CanReef forum, it exists "forever". If people want a good deal, they spend more time looking for it. If items for sale are of good quality and reasonably priced, they sell equally well on either site........

Just my $0.02 worth

[Coralgurl]

There are deals such as the free live rock on Kijiji as well! Some of my cheapest and my most worthwhile purchases of livestock, tanks, and other equipment have been from there. The difference is, once sold on Kijiji, the ad disappears. On CanReef forum, it exists "forever". If people want a good deal, they spend more time looking for it. If items for sale are of good quality and reasonably priced, they sell equally well on either site........

Just my $0.02 worth

True enough!

[Reef Pilot]

Well, actually, it is the buyers who set the price. Stuff is only worth what people are willing to pay for it, whether it is a car, house, stock, or reef livestock and equipment. If you can't sell something within a reasonable period of time then your price is out of line. Same applies if it sells the first day, or hour. So that is why a little search on canreef is a good idea before deciding on what your listing price should be.

[Rodney]

The way I see it on here anyway is that 90 percent of us already have setups on the go so it's mainly the addiction that drives us to aquire more and more. It's not out of necessity so much as desire so most here are willing to wait for that crazy deal. I do agree it's more hardware than livestock

[Zoaelite]

Does this forum drive down pricing??

Quick economics, ignoring most factors: Forum results in an increase in demand, if the supply stays the same then in theory the price should INCREASE, not decrease.

To give you an example of this, with out the use of a forum for people to see lets say "Tyree Space Monsters" there would be less demand, less people wanting it drives the market price down. I would argue the opposite, a forum increases prices because it increases demand.

That being said the above statement really doesn't hold in a real world argument, too many factors to directly correlate this forum with a supply/demand market.

[windcoast reefs]

I think it drives down prices, but it also gives a much larger market for sales, so it sells faster. I don't mind loosing a bit if it benefits someone else on the forum.

[sphelps]

Pretty simple, sell things for for the price you want. Besides a few comments on grossly overpriced items, that eventually do get removed, nobody forces anyone here to sell things less than the seller advertises. Why not take advantage of the added exposure your items get here, doesn't mean you can't advertise elsewhere at the same time.

Ultimately Canreef is probably the best place to sell used equipment and livestock in Canada, it's a 100% target audience. It'll sell for what it's worth eventually, time typically plays the biggest role in what things sell for. I assure you, you'll get a lot more tire kickers and low balls on places like Kijiji, at least with a member system there is some accountability.

[11purewater]

It's a black market subculture,but it works.

[11purewater]

sorry white market.

[SanguinesDream]

Meh.

I've been on the receiving end of some really awesome deals from some very generous sellers of livestock. But I've noticed that people develop a personal attachment to livestock as we nurture and purchase specialty foods, hardware and maintain the chemistry of our tanks to capitalize on growth potential for the critters we take into our care.

As a result, sellers seem to be willing to take a hit if they recognize that the piece of livestock/fish would have a better environment and/or access to care.

On the other hand, that should NOT be the expectation of seller who has had the fish for a long time or the livestock from a well established tank or from a huge mother colony. You cannot compare the prices from the LFS for a quarter sized juvenile fish to a seller who has matured and nourished that fish into adulthood. THAT kind of behaviour is intolerable, imho.

I don't like when a seller is harassed by tire kickers on the forum. That is akin to bullying and I have little tolerance for that. If you don't agree with the price, take it to a pm or scroll on by. Easy as that. But don't bitch and moan about in public, that is classless. If it truly is an exhorbitant price, the seller will clue in when no one responds to the ad, market forces, yadayadayada...

[11purewater]

This is a hobby for the most part,and the money exchanging hands is more want than need,nobody has an endless supply of anything.That's why we look on for sale post's even though everything ok.

[fishpoops]

To me buying something used at 75 percent of new cost is not generally worth it for hardware items. 60 to 50 percent ok. I guess it depends on budget too.

[Dearth]

Then if you look at it from a point of view that someone who wants to get into the hobby but can't afford or is put off by the high cost of new equipment this is the perfect place to get stuff. I personally wouldn't want to go out and spend $1-3000 on tanks and equipment only to find that for whatever reason can't do it. It is a much easier pill to swallow if it is mostly all gotten for well under 1k.

You will never ever get what you paid for it but at least you get something back and that it isn't cluttering your space up either:biggrin:

[Coleus]

i hate selling on this forum because of lowballers and some buyer hold you account if something went wrong down the road (like after a week) and it is kind of stupid. So I am no longer post items on here to sell

[ImprezaSTi]

Quick economics, ignoring most factors: Forum results in an increase in demand, if the supply stays the same then in theory the price should INCREASE, not decrease.

To give you an example of this, with out the use of a forum for people to see lets say "Tyree Space Monsters" there would be less demand, less people wanting it drives the market price down. I would argue the opposite, a forum increases prices because it increases demand.

That being said the above statement really doesn't hold in a real world argument, too many factors to directly correlate this forum with a supply/demand market.

I would agree with this. I feel the exact opposite as OP. I see many people selling things on here for near retail price because thats how high the demand is for used or discounted items. Many FS threads even sell things the same day it was posted.

I would suggest if you feel like what your selling is worth more, then simply increase the price. However it also depends on the item you are selling. If it is hardware, there may be newer products out, driving demand for the used items down. Thats just an example, there are many other factors that affect the price of a used item. But in general I don't believe that the forums affect prices of the marketplace.

[msjboy]

Some people do put FIRM ...others OBO so it the first doesnt move, they sooner or later will adjust price. Esoteric, specialized equipment sell better here than a common item like a tank which is common on craigslist, kijijji, usedwhatevvverrr.com and so on and seem to command better, higher prices because of a larger audience too.

Also , for certain instances like moves, or lost of employment, divorces, people sometimes must liquidate quickly thus crazy deals do occur because of the circumstances.